Cutie and the Bee
by ItalianPrincess92
Summary: Six-year old Rapunzel learns a lesson the hard way about the animal kingdom.


**A/N: A little random one-shot that popped into my head while I work on my other stories. Woo, inspiration!**

**I do not own any Tangled characters**

"Mmph, come on..." I jiggled the latch with all my might, trying to open the window. The lock was stuck, but I wouldn't give up. I could see from the other windows in the tower that it was a beautiful day out, and I wanted to feel it for myself. I gave another tug and heard a _click_. I did it! I threw open the shutters and clapped my hands in delight as a blast of fresh air hit my face.

Still not tall enough to get a good view, I raced across the room and pushed a dining chair over to the window. I climbed on top and peeked out. Skinny trees wavered in the breeze and sparrows flapped their wings hurriedly, darting from branch to branch.

I peered down at the ground, holding tight to the windowsill. I was very high up.

The grass was bright green, gently swaying in the wind, and I could see daisies poking out of the ground.

Sometimes I wondered what it be like to go outside to pick flowers or to visit the garden next to the waterfall where Mommy planted fresh vegetables for us, but Mommy warned me that if I ever did go out, bad, selfish people would take me away from her and cut my hair.

That scared me, and I quickly decided that being inside wasn't that bad. In fact, it was actually really cozy. Mommy cooked my favorite dinner – hazelnut soup – all the time, and every night she would build a fire and we would sit in front of it while she brushed my hair.

It reached all the way past my ankles and took a long time to make smooth.

I heard a soft humming noise and glanced up. My eyes went big. There, hovering near a small plant on the ledge, was a bee. Mommy read me a book about bees once, but I had never seen one up close before.

I leaned in to get a better look. The bee was _huge _with a dark yellow body and black stripes around its middle. It also had clear wings and two antennae that twitched madly as it flitted to each bud.

Mommy told me that bees collected pollen – whatever that was – and used it to grow new flowers. That sounded like a very important job.

As I watched the bee's spindly legs scratch at the petals, I suddenly had a great idea. If bees could make flowers grow outside, then they could also make them grow _inside_, right?

I looked away from the bee for a second and surveyed the dimly lit tower.

I smiled to myself, already picturing how pretty it would be with colorful flowers all around.

Turning back to the window, I saw that the bee had gone to the other plant on the opposite side of the ledge.

I didn't really have much of a plan on how I was going to get the bee, but I knew I had to hurry. Mommy was sleeping and she would be awake soon.

I took a deep breath and gripped the arm of the chair. A little voice told me to stay inside, but I ignored it. Carefully, I made my way on to the ledge and dangled my feet over the side.

The sun was warm on my bare toes and for a moment, I sat completely still.

This was the first time that I wasn't surrounded by walls, and it was amazing.

The sky looked bluer, the birds chirped louder, and even the wind seemed to blow a bit stronger.

It tickled my nose and ruffled my hair, most of which was still inside the tower.

I wanted nothing more than to stay there all day, but I knew I couldn't. If Mommy saw me, I would be in big trouble. Besides, I was on a mission.

Inhaling another breath of the tranquil air, I zoned in on the bee.

I had no other way of capturing it than with my hands, but as I went for it, I realized that it was just out of reach.

Being as quiet as possible, I scooted over, silently hoping it wouldn't fly away.

I plastered myself against the wooden frame of the window all while keeping a steady gaze on the bee.

It kept floating between two flowers, and once it was close enough, I took my chance.

I reached my hand out and closed my fingers around the buzzing insect. I smiled. Success! Unfortunately, my excitement was short-lived as I felt a terrible, sharp sensation in the center of my palm.

I yelped and jerked my arm away, but before I could stop myself, I lost my balance and tumbled backwards into the darkness of the tower.

My shoulder made contact with the hard tile, and beside me there was a loud crash as the dining chair toppled to the ground.

Hot tears blurred my vision as I sat up, the pain in my hand worsening.

I heard rushed footsteps from upstairs and Mommy's voice. She did not sound happy.

"Rapunzel!"

Mommy appeared from behind the satin curtain that closed off her bedroom, hands on her hips. "What is going on down here?"

I sniffled and wiped my eyes. I couldn't tell Mommy what I had been doing. "Sorry, Mommy. I was-"

"You were what?" Mommy descended the steps, her arms now folded across her chest. "Rapunzel, I don't know how many times I have to tell you not to make noise while I'm sleeping. Mommy needs her beauty rest."

"I know. It's just-"

"And why is that chair on the floor?" Mommy interrupted again. She went over and put the seat back into its upright position.

"Um... well..." I rubbed my shoulder and stood up, discreetly checking my hand. It was really red and itchy now. Why did the bee do that to me?

"Rapunzel?"

I looked up. "Yes?"

"How did this window open? I know I locked it before I went to bed."

_Uh-oh._

She closed the shutters with a _slam _and slid the latch back in place. She turned to me and tapped her foot. "Did you open it? Tell me the truth."

I bit my tongue, but just couldn't keep quiet, and the words came out in a rush.

"I'm really sorry, Mommy. I opened the window because it was so nice outside. I was standing on the chair, but I couldn't really see that well, so I went on the ledge-"

Mommy's eyes widened in shock. "You did _what!__?_ Rapunzel, have you lost your mind? Do you want to be taken away? Hm?"

My bottom lip trembled.

"Answer _me_."

I shook my head. "No, Mommy. There was a bee, and I remember you telling me that they make flowers grow, so I wanted to bring it inside and make the tower pretty, but when I caught it, it bit me, and I fell."

"What do you mean, 'it bit you'?" Mommy asked, her expression softening.

I stuck out my hand so she could see.

"It really hurts, Mommy," I whimpered, a single tear trickling down my face.

Mommy sighed. "Oh, darling." She scooped me up in her arms and carried me to her room.

She sat me on the bed and retrieved a small basket from underneath. She pulled out a pair of tweezers and carefully removed a small black speck from my skin.

I winced. "What is that?"

"It's the stinger."

Mommy took a few strands of my hair and wrapped it around my hand.

"Do you remember that song I've been teaching you?" she asked. "It will make you feel better."

I nodded.

_"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine..."_

From the roots to the tips, my hair started to glow, bright and warm, and by the time the song was finished, my hand was completely healed.

I smiled.

Mommy then placed me on her lap and wrapped her arms tightly around me.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, darling," she said sweetly, "it's just when you told me what you had done, you scared me so much. The outside world is _very _dangerous and I can't even imagine losing my precious girl. Do you understand, Flower?"

"Yes, Mommy," I replied softly.

"I love you very much, dear."

I snuggled closer to her and closed my eyes. "I love you more."

Mommy kissed my hair.

"I love you most."

**A/N: Hey, everyone! I hope you liked it! Please R&R! Just a note, I am still working on "Happy Anniversary!" and hope to have it updated very soon. I got a new computer (yay!) and that is why it's taking so long. xD**

**A/N 2: Sorta, kinda, "Tangled" related, on Sunday, I went and saw "First Date" on Broadway starring none other than our own Eugene, Zachary Levi. It was awesome and I totally, highly recommend it! Also, still unreal to me, I got to meet him after the show! He is so sweet and humble and was so warm and talked to me and my sisters for ten minutes. I told him that I love "Tangled" and he was so happy to hear it. If you want, you can read my blog post about it. (Can't post links so go to Google and look up "Blogspot MarysTower1826") It should come up. Thanks for reading this! :D  
**


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